Ditch the Cable Bill: How to Watch TV Shows Online

Whether we like to admit it or not, getting sucked into a TV show can be so fun! I love knowing that on a certain night, if I can successfully get my kids to bed on time, my oh-so guilty pleasure of a show will be all mine. But if you’ve ever checked out a cable bill lately, just the government fees can make you walk away from that show.

In an effort to save our budgets, many of us cancel our cable and get our show updates from social media. However, did you know there are ways to watch your favorite shows for much less than your average cable bill? Here’s how to watch TV shows online for almost next to nothing.

Way #1: The old fashioned way

If you have a converter or a digital-ready TV, you can get almost every main channel with clear reception and some even in HD. Converter boxes can be purchased for very little at your local electronics store, so as long as you’re not looking for too many specialty shows you’ll get a decent picture and sound with a converter box.

Way #2: TV channel apps

I often miss my favorite shows because bedtime went awry or because of some afterschool activity. So I downloaded the apps that go with the channels that I love to watch. ABC, CBS, and most major channels have free apps that live steam.

With them, I can stream my favorite shows for free when it plays or check it out at a later time. Oftentimes, the episode is up and ready within hours of the show airing. All you need is a tablet or phone and Wi-Fi!

Way #3: Netflix

Netflix isn’t free, but it’s incredibly affordable. At a starting price of $7.99 a month, you can watch classic movies and the latest shows anytime you want on your phone, tablet, and even your TV. All you need to access it on your TV is a gaming system with Internet capabilities or another converter, like Roku. Some televisions with Wi-Fi capability will allow you to feed directly to it as well.

However, Netflix may be a paid app on your device — though that’s rare. My one beef with Netflix is that I can’t purchase a movie if I want to. It has to already be free on their app. Still, Netflix is known to have the most content available for streaming than any other. Plus, you can order DVDs and have them sent to your home if you want to see something not in the system.

Another app where you barely pay anything is Hulu. Similar to Netflix, you pay $7.99 a month and stream whatever shows, movies, and more you want. Lately, Hulu is starting to top lists for best streaming entertainment based on top upload speeds.

I have both Netflix and Hulu and they’re interchangeable, with some movies and shows being on one and different options on the other. Another advantage of Hulu over Netflix is that you can see the most recent airings of your favorite show the next day, for the most part. Netflix generally has a longer wait.

Try Hulu for free for one week and be sure to check for other Hulu coupons! (One-week free trial expires 11/30.)

Way #5: Crackle

Crackle is another free movie and television app that makes me question why I still pay for cable. Though there are ads on the free app, which is to be expected with anything free, the quality and content is good. A little lesser known, sometimes Crackle has content you can’t find anywhere else.

Whatever you choose there will be sacrifices to your regular viewing habits. However, the benefit is that the sacrifice to the cable company will be much less painful and you can binge watch your favorite shows like a pro!

Comments

Cat K

Way #2: TV channel apps. These are NOT FREE! CBS’s app is TRY IT for free, you have ~1 day to try it and if you don’t cancel it you’re charged $5.99 per month +. ABC’s app: “ABC.com and the ABC app are brought to you by your local station and participating TV providers at no additional cost. It’s included in your TV subscription service.” (http://abc.go.com/faq) So this means you still have to have a cable/satellite subscription.